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Why can’t we use water from Wivenhoe Dam?

Wivenhoe Dam is the main water supply for Brisbane and other parts of South East Queensland (SEQ). Based on Wivenhoe’s current rainfall flows and Brisbane’s current water usage patterns, SEQ residents will experience severe water shortages before we do. SEQ Water is currently looking at a range of options for ensuring it has emergency supplies for its residents. In the long term, climate change and the South East corner’s growing population will place a strain on Wivenhoe’s capacity to deliver enough water. It would not be wise for Toowoomba to also rely on this water source.

So what are the options?

There is some concern amongst some Toowoomba residents that Council may not have considered all the options.  Following are some of the options put forward as alternatives to Water Futures.

  • Water Futures - Purifying wastewater
  • Water swap with Condamine irrigators
  • Coal seam water from Chinchilla
  • Pipeline from Wivenhoe
  • Coolmunda Dam

Read more...

Last Updated on Thursday, 27 January 2011 12:17

What is Water Futures

Water Futures Toowoomba is a plan to provide Toowoomba with a safe and sustainable long-term water supply. It includes:

  1. More bores – construction has already started on shallow Toowoomba Basalts bores (where our bore water comes from now) and we will soon be starting drilling our first Great Artesian Basin bore, which will be between 600m and 700m deep.
  2. More use of rainwater – compulsory tanks for new buildings and rebates for tanks on existing buildings.
  3. Demand management – water restrictions, WaterWise education, rebates, etc
  4. Indirect potable reuse – water from the Wetalla Water Reclamation Plant is treated to a very high (6 star) standard and mixed into Cooby Dam. It is then taken from Cooby Dam and treated again at the Mt Kynoch Water treatment Plant. Estimated cost $68 m.
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